Method of reducing the poisonous effects of nicotine and the product thereof



Aprifl & 193%.. A. J. PAcnNn 1,7549117 METHOD OF REDUCING THE POISONOUS EFFECTS OF NICOTINE AND THE' PRODUCT THEREOF Filed May 5, 1929 Patented pr. 8, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUGUST J. PACINI, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T CHARLES M. RICHTER, OF

CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS METHOD OF REDUCING TIHE POISONOUS EFFECTS OF NICOTIINE AND THE PRODUCT THEREUF Applicafion filed May A, 1929. terial No. 360,256.

This invention relates to the reduction of the physiologically poisonous or toxic efiects of nicotine, and with regard to certain more specific features to such reduction "without removal from a substance of the nicotine per se.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of means for treating substances having a nicotine content such that the said nicotine content will be m rendered less toxic, the treatment being ac- 7 enjoyment or use of the substance, tobacco hit for example, is not interfered with. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, steps and sequences of steps, features of synthesis and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the description hereinafter and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a diagra a test; I

T ig 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a method of treatment;

Fig, 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating a modified form of treatment; and,

Fig. A is a view similar tolFig. 2 illustrating another modification.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings,

Hereinafter, as an example and for the purpose of demonstrating the efiect of this invention, tobacco will. be referred to as the substance in which the poisonous efi'ects of nicotine are to be reduced and/or neutralized, It is to be understood that other nicotine-bean ing substances, or even nicotine itself, may be similarly treated with the same or similar result 1n; matic view illustrating It is also to be understood that the term tobacco as used herein refers to cured or aged tobacco, such as is generally utilized in commerce for the manufacture of cigars, cigarettes, pipe tobacco and the like.

Before describing the invention, the following should be noted: The quantity of nicotine present in tobacco, as determined by the usual methods of assay (non-biological) is not a criterion of the toxicity of the tobacco, inasmuch as the condition in which the nicotine exists is the determining criterion for determination of its physiological effects. Thus according to the ordinary tests, two samples of tobacco may have equal amounts of nicotine but on the other hand be unequally toxic, because in one, the condition of the nicotine is different from the same amount in the other. As illustrative of this fact in a different field, it may be noted that the determination of the amount of ergosterol in a fat is not a measure of the amount of vitamin D in that fat, although vitamin D and ergosterol answer the same chemical tests. The reason is, as in the case of the present invention, that the distinguishing criterion is biological. Thus an assay of tobacco before and after the treatment outlined herein appears to provide the same amount of nicotine by ordinary tests, yet biologically the effects of this nicotine are difierent.

As an example of What is referred to above, 1 have found that nicotine produces definite pharmacologic eflects when administered to different animals. The efl'ect is observed whether the nicotine be administered in its alkaloidal form, or Whether it be administered in its natural occurrence as tobacco.

The characteristic action of nicotine may be noted by its efiect upon the frog, the animal evidencing a folding of the hind legs over the back. This action is suificiently characteristic to make it possible to distinguish nicotine from its related poisons, and is sensitive to the point where the presence of about mg. of nicotine may be demonstrated.

In order to estimate with relatively accufit) racy the comparative toxicity of untreated tee set out herein, a Bell jar 1, (Fig. 1) tubulated, is fitted with a doubly perforated stopper 3.

A bent tube '5 passes through the stopper 3 and ends just below it. A thistle funnel 7. 5 passes through the second perforation and reaches nearly to the bottom of the jar. The jar is placed on a glass plate 9 and sealed reasonably air-tight by coating the contact between the jar and the plate with petrolatum. A frog 11 is introduced into the Bell jar and the jar is placed in its position on the plate. The thistle funnel is filled with tobacco 13, lighted, and the smoke is aspirated into the .jar.- Depending upon the amount of smoke consumed, and the time required for the symptoms of toxicity to appear, it is possible to estimate with relative accuracy the comparative toxicity of a treated and an untreated tobacco. By this method, tobacco for cigarettes, pipes, cigars, snufi and other purposes may be accuratelytested for toxicity of nicotine independently of the ordinary chemical tests for nicotine.

Another method for the determination of by bubbling the smoke obtained from a weighted amount of tobacco through water, and injecting an aliquot part into any suitable animal prepared by the usual physiological 0 methods for the determination of blood pressure, nicotine being the only constituent of smoke that raises the blood pressure. The amount of rise is a measure of the amount of detrimental effect of the nicotine. Bubbling can be effected by placing a glass of water around the lower end of the funneltube 7 (see dotted lines Fig. 1).

In regard to my invention .per se, I have found that nicotine ordinarily absorbs in the ultraviolet region at 280 m and in more diluted concentrations, at 270 my. I have discovered that the absorption ofnicotine in this region is not selective, but is general.

I have discovered further that the exposure of nicotine, or of tobacco leaf, cut or uncut, to ultraviolet radiation of wavelengths of from 4000 Angstrom units to the limit ofa mercury vapor lamp in quartz (approximately 1800 Angstrom units), or the exposure of nicotine to infrared radiation peaked especially in the regionv of 2.5 mar. results-in the toxicity of the nicotine being diminished. I have demonstrated, this repeatedly in the manner set out.

above, that is, by biological tests. Thus it will be seen thattobacco'wlien treated either by ultra-violet rays or infra-red rays loses much of its toxicity. This loss of toxicity is a fact as shown by the biological assays, al-

. though the ordinary physical and/or chemical assays, showthat tobacco before and after treatment appears .to have the same amount of nicotine perse. The conclusion is that the 1 condition or "biological characteristics or the hke of the nicotine have been changed after the loss in the toxic quality consists in passing treatment, although apparently the nicotine remains as a substance.

The above efl'ect is exceedingly desirable, because it is preferable that the tobacco of commerce retain all of its original constituents in order to be perfectly salable. That is to say, tobaccowhich has the nicotine content actually removed, such as by washing or the like, is not as salable as that which has the nicotine content left therein in a harmless form. By means of this invention the original physical makeup of the tobacco (or other substance) is unchanged but the advantage is had that the nicotine is rendered substantially harmless and at least less toxic. Referring now to the method of treatment, the cut, sliced, minced or otherwise prepared tobacco is exposed in thin layers to infrared rays, for example in the following fashion (Fig. 2): A layer 13 of tobacco 2.5 the tobacco undergoes a general absorption of infra-red radiation which, in the presence of air, results in a change in the nicotine. The change is apparently one of oxidation, the nicotine becomin acid. It is to be understood that t is explanation of the phenomenon may not be the ultimate one for the radiation changes may impart other andas yet unknown characteristics which have thus far eluded detection.

The fact is that the toxicity of the nicotine content is greatly lowered by this treatment.

The treatment can be accomplished also in a similar fashion by passing t e tobacco under mercury vapor lamps 1n quartz 23, by

which method, the mercury vapor lamp in quartz replaces theinfra-red generator (see i c ange may also be. effected in the case of nicotine by means of intensified visible light, such as that obtained from an incandescent lamp 25 (Fig. 4) with a range of wavelengths of 'fromx302 a to A1400 p..

These are radiations usually emitted by the general type of tungsten, incandescent lamp inclosed in lass. I have discovered that nicotine fres 1y repared from tobacco undergoes a color change when exposed to the radiations mentioned in the presence of air, and I have discovered further that this color change is attended by a marked reduction in the-toxicity of the nicotine. ".By the term .intensified is meant herein light of intensity nicotinic greater than that to which tobacco or the substance being treated is normally exposed If freshly prepared nicotine is placed n a a pyrex test tube and this be suspended 1n 5 the path of the light furnished by a searchlight operating with a 1000 Watt Mazda lamp, the color of the nicotine changes quickly, and coincident with the color change the tom'city is lessened. W ln all the examples above enumerated it is understood that the increase or the decrease of light intensity will involve corresponding changes in the time of exposure, the distance from the light source to the nicotine or the 115 nicotine-containing material, and other obvious photochemical factors.

The examples are merely illustrative andare not meant to limit and/or restrict the discovery to the factors of irradiation outlined.

'lheexamples indicate that applied mercury vapor radiation, applied visible light radiation and applied infra-red radiation are all capable of occasioning such changes in nicotine as to reduce its toxicity, without necessarily reducing its apparent physical and/or chemical content intobacco when determined by the ordinary present day methods. The change results in a biological diiierentiation.

In view of the above, it will be seen that so the several objects of theinvention are achieved and other advantageous results attained. a

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the-scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense,

l claim:

to l The method cit treating cured tobacco containing toxic nicotine which comprises artificially irradiating said tobacco, to reduce the toxicity oil the nicotine content of said tobacco, and substantiall maintaining said as nicotine content unaltere 2. The method of treating cured tobacco containing toxic nicotine which comprises subjecting the same to artificial ultra-violet irradiation tor a suficient length at time to detoxify the nicotine content out said tobacco, and substantially maintaining said nicotine content unaltered 3, The product comprising irradiated cured tobacco, the nicotine therein being detoxified but without substantial alteration otherwise in its essential characteristica In testimony whereofi'l have signed my name to this specification this Nth-day of April, 1929. m AUGUST P filll lll.

tilt

mum; 1,754,117,

Certific ate of Cbrre'ctiori Grafited JAPriI S, 1930,.130 AUGUST PACIN I I t {e -hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificatieh of the ebovenumbered pfifent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 120, for A302 p. to. "A1400 14.. read A302 m to x1400 m and that the said Letters Patent shouldbe read Patent x I Si nedend see led this 14th da pf J1'1 1y, A.D. 1931.

i mj" J. MOORE, :Acting Commissioner of Patents.

wlth this cerreetion there in thatjhe same-may conform to the record of the case in the v 

